M.R. Riazi and G.A. Enzi (Kuwait)
Oil spill, rate of dissolution, seawater,toxic compounds.
The proposed model is an extension of our previous model on the rate of disappearance of an oil spill floating on a seawater [1]. In this model, first we break the crude into several pseudocomponents, while a petroleum product is considered as one pseudocomponent, then for each pseudocomponent we calculate the amounts of parffins, naphthenes, monocyclic aromatics and ploycyclic aromatics. For each component, amount of hydrocarbons dissolved or evaporated can be predicted by simple rate models previously developed. The model predicts concentration of each component in water. The input data needed for the proposed model are: initial mass or volume of oil, its specific gravity (or API degree), composition of crude oil or distillation data for a petroleum product, initial surface area of the spill, air and water average temperatures and the wind speed. Results are presented for the amounts of total hydrocarbons, total aromatics and monoaromatics dissolved in water versus time for a crude oil at two temperatures. One of the advantages of the present model versus previous models is that it predicts concentration of various types of hydrocarbons especially mono-aromatics in water versus time which is of great importance from the environmental point of view.
Important Links:
Go Back
